On A Tilt

 I've always liked this tilted building which is part of a condo complex in the financial district. It houses a restaurant but since we have been locked down for basically the last year I haven't been near it so am not sure if the restaurant has survived.

Steel Trees

While wandering around in the financial district on a Sunday morning I explored the concourse of one of the office towers and discovered this rather unique seating and planter. It was lit by wonderful skylights and the plants looked quite healthy as did the steel trees along the planter.

Reinforcement

 While walking along in the financial district I spotted this heavy duty structure which has been erected up against the facade of a building which has had the rest of it torn down. I assume another condo is under construction and the facade of the old building will be incorporated into the new one. That is certainly a lot of steel that they used!

Camera Love

 While wandering around in the financial district I spotted this great sign. I know nothing about the 500 PX company but apparently it is a global online photo sharing platform.  

Taking part in Signs 2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

Dreaming Reflection

I spotted this reflection of Dreaming across the road from it and couldn't resist a shot. And of course I also caught the intrepid photographer.

Change Of View

As you walk around the  Dreaming sculpture the perspective really changes and when you view it from the front it becomes quite flattened. The effect is rather dreamlike as you circle around it.

Dreaming

This is the sign that goes with yesterday's sculpture by Jaume Plensa. It gives you a bit more info on the piece. I will give you another view tomorrow.

Taking part in Signs 2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

New Sculpture In Town

The reason I was wandering about downtown was to see this sculpture that has been newly installed in the financial district. Called 'Dreaming', it is by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa whose work I have loved ever since seeing a major show of his at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in England several years ago. This lovely head is 8 metres tall and is made of resin and marble dust. I'll show more the next couple of days.

There Is A Story There

During a wander downtown last weekend I spotted this lovely mural along Adelaide St W but could find no artist name on it.  I'm sure there is a lovely story behind the images but I have no idea what it is.

Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.

One More View

This is the last view from the top of the Physics Building taken during the Doors Open event. Here we are looking to the south-east and what a contrast to yesterday's pic it is. These are the highrise towers of the financial district with a few condos and hospitals thrown into the mix.

View From The Casa Stairs

This is the view from the top of the stairs leading up to Casa Loma, one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city. It is a great view and hundreds of pics are taken of it each day. We see the CN Tower towards the left and looking straight down Spadina Rd in the middle of the pic you can see a bit of Lake Ontario peeking through. And of course all of the trees in the Annex neighbourhood as well as the towers of the financial district.

Oldie But Goodie

This is the original Bank of Commerce building found in the Commerce Court complex in the Financial District. It is now surrounded by modern additions but it outshines them all!

Behind The Trees

Rising from the trees in this pic is the spire of St James Cathedral, an Anglican church on King St E which is home to the oldest congregation in the city. The church itself was built in the 1850s but the tower and spire were not completed until 1876. Those are the towers of the Financial district behind it. Tomorrow I will take you down into those trees.

Grange View

I'm back at Grange Park behind the Art Gallery of Ontario for another pic. This shot was taken from the playground in the park looking towards the Financial District visible under the great stilted overhang of the Ontario College of Art and Design. I love this view!

Cleaning Time

This pic was taken early on a Sunday morning in a courtyard in the Financial District, a time when no one is around. That is except for these two men who were walking circles around in the fountain with some sort of broom/squeegie to give it a good cleaning. The glass atrium and patio in the background belong to the Jump restaurant that I showed you yesterday.

Jump

I like this sign for Jump which is a restaurant and bar in the financial district. I've never been inside but the food is supposed to be quite good.
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

Downtown Waterfall

I showed you a section of the Cloud Gardens Park located downtown in the financial district on Tuesday and thought I would show a little bit more. The ramps in Tuesday's pic lead off in the upper left side to this waterfall and then into the lovely little green house. A small oasis among the towers.

Downtown Park

This is part of a small 1/2 acre park, Cloud Gardens, that is located in the midst of the downtown financial district. Since it was so small the designers went up with terraces, bridges and ramps leading across a waterfall and eventually to a small conservatory. This section shows some of the ramps backed by a monument to all the construction workers who have toiled on the surrounding towers. Each square represents a different trade.

Towers

This little parkette in the foreground is being constructed on the site of the old Women's College Hospital and those arches are supporting a few of the old sculpted windows from the original building. The large building on the left is the new hospital and the other buildings are condos and office towers in the financial district. I have to go back when the park is finished for some shots but I like that they are retaining a bit of the history of the site.

Rooftops

Last week I was taking a tour of a newly installed green roof on one of the buildings at U of Toronto and the view from up there was rather nice. Here we are seeing part of the campus in the forefront with Massey College and its modern bell tower on the left and the Soldiers Tower of Hart House to the right.  In the background are government buildings including the Queens Park legislature buildings and the tall towers at the back are part of the financial district along Bay St. The green playing field belongs to University College and it will be used for field hockey during the PanAm Games which take place here in July.